The Assessment

"You've come at the right time. I was just wondering who to send to supervise the records. Last week, three people applied for the group entry test, so I'll arrange it all now."

It's clear that Pan De is also very busy, radiating an aura of a packed schedule. Perhaps, as the doctor said, the Mohist Knight Guard is currently operating at full capacity.

Without exchanging pleasantries, Pan De led Si Ming to the training ground and introduced the three applicants, all of whom he knew.

One of them was Murong Qing. Her presence here didn't surprise Si Ming. After all, she had long expressed her desire to become a member of the Mohist Knight Guard. Coupled with the matter of avenging her father, she was full of motivation to investigate the truth. If she could become a member of the Mohist Knight Guard, it would undoubtedly give her greater authority and bring her one step closer to the truth.

In fact, Murong Qing could have easily bypassed the test and become a Mohist Knight Guard directly through her master's connections.

Although Ling Huanxi was not Mohist Knight Guard, as a Spirit Transformation expert, once she spoke up, no one would bother to offend her over such a trivial matter.

However, it is clear that Murong Qing is not that kind of person. She does not want to rely on nepotism to benefit herself, and she will strive for all honors with her own hands.

The other person was He Qichang, the male student who challenged Tange Middle School back then. Although Si Ming had forgotten his name, he still remembered that his specialty was the "Demon Blade Art"—this kind of thinking of judging people by their martial arts skills is what is called the "martial arts brain," or simply "martial brain."

Martial arts practitioners often say, "No fight, no acquaintance." After recognizing Si Ming, He Qichang was not embarrassed at all and greeted him generously, showing a sense of intimacy as if he had met an acquaintance, even though they had only met once. He even asked a question at the end.

"Do you know where Xia Guanxue went? I made a breakthrough in my swordsmanship a few days ago, and I wanted to find him for a rematch, but I can't find him anywhere. It's like he's vanished."

Si Ming sighed, "I don't know exactly where he went. After that demon tide attack, he became very preoccupied and gloomy. However, there were many gloomy people at that time, and he didn't stand out much, so I didn't pay attention. After two weeks of classes, I suddenly heard that he had dropped out of school, and I haven't seen him since. Later, I found out that his family had all died in that demon tide incident."

Chapter 160 Assessment Content

Si Ming had considered helping Xia Guanxue, but after trying all the known methods of contact and still failing to find her, he gave up the search.

In the past few months, there have been too many cases of families being torn apart and people being killed. If we were to sympathize with each and every one of them, there wouldn't be enough time in 24 hours a day.

The only reason I care about Xia Guanxue's situation is because he is my classmate and we used to have a friendly exchange. If it were a complete stranger, I'm afraid the emotional response to the news would be much weaker, just like seeing a series of casualty figures in the newspaper.

In contrast, Murong Qing, who had also lost family members and was grieving, was more deserving of his comfort.

He Qichang sighed, "Alas, I hope he can overcome his grief soon and stand up again. I'm still waiting to fight him and decide the winner."

Pan De said impatiently, "Alright, enough with the pleasantries, let's get down to business. Since you all know each other, I'll save you the trouble of explaining. I'll just briefly explain the content of this test."

He took out a photograph showing a group of people bowing and worshipping an Anomalies statue on a high platform, with two rows of torches standing beside it, creating an eerie atmosphere. It was clearly an illegal assembly.

Si Ming guessed, "A cult?"

Pan De nodded. "That's right. This is a cult called the Primordial Ancestor Divine Cult. They worship a deity who appeared out of nowhere called the Primordial Ancestor Great Immortal. Before, it was just an insignificant small group with no more than thirty people. But they took advantage of this demon tide disaster to specifically target families who lost loved ones, recruiting believers everywhere. In just three months, it swelled to more than 13,000 people."

Murong Qing said indignantly, "These missionaries actually took advantage of the victims' pain and grief at losing their families, using deception to take advantage of their vulnerability! They truly deserve to die!"

He Qichang grunted in response, not saying much, but it was clear that he also didn't have a good impression of this kind of gang.

Si Ming, "What exactly is the test? Is it to destroy the cult's headquarters? Or to kill their leader?"

"Do as you please. The ultimate goal is to destroy this cult. If you can find a way to take those followers back from them and leave them with only one leader, that will count as passing the test. In short, I want to see effective results."

Si Ming stroked his chin and said, "I haven't experienced the assessment, so I don't know the general situation. If others apply to join the Mohist Knight Guard, they also have to undergo similar tests? Destroying a cult is not as simple as it seems. If you encounter one or two experts, it will be even more troublesome. Isn't this kind of mission a bit too difficult for newcomers?"

Pan De admitted, "Normally, we wouldn't assign newcomers tasks that could 'lead to death.' We usually give them escort, bodyguard, or adventure missions. But you know how things are these days. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. We don't have enough manpower to supervise and assess them separately, so we had to have all three of them come together. That inevitably increased the difficulty of the mission. Besides, we investigated beforehand, and all three of them have practical combat experience. Compared to Demon Beast, a bunch of lowly country cultists are really nothing."

He then added, "If something unexpected happens, you're still here, aren't you? While you're recording the mission process, you're also responsible for protecting the safety of the three of them. If they encounter a formidable enemy they have no chance of defeating, we won't deliberately make things difficult for them; we'll just schedule a second assessment at another opportunity. The most important thing is your own safety. By the way, although you should be aware of this, I still have to remind you that you cannot offer assistance before something unexpected happens; otherwise, it will be considered abandoning the mission."

Si Ming, "I know."

Pan De was really busy. After explaining the content of the assessment, he left the relevant materials and hurriedly departed.

He Qichang didn't bother to look up the information; he didn't seem like the type to investigate the enemy before a battle. He simply said, "If there are no problems, let's take the train tomorrow."

"I'm fine," Murong Qing nodded, then turned to ask, "Qingqing, what about you?"

"I'm fine with it too."

"Huh, who are you?"

He Qichang stared in shock at Liu Qingqing standing beside him, only now realizing her presence.

Si Ming, "Her name is Liu Qingqing. She's one of the people participating in this assessment with you. Senior Pan De said there are a total of three applicants. I'm the supervisor, so I'm not counted in the number."

"Uh, it seems like that's true..."

He Qichang recalled that Pan De had indeed mentioned three people, and more than once. However, for some reason, he always subconsciously ignored the third person, assuming that only he and Murong Qing were participating in the test together—in fact, Pan De had also forgotten about Liu Qingqing's existence.

"Liu... right? When did you get here?"

Before Liu Qingqing could answer, Murong Qing said in a strange tone, "She's been here the whole time, and she even introduced herself. Didn't you notice?"

He Qichang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and hurriedly apologized, "I'm sorry, I might be having some mental issues lately, probably due to too much pressure. Hmm, let's postpone the departure date by another day, to the day after tomorrow. I'll take this opportunity to adjust myself and make sure I don't hold you back."

After saying that, he left in a hurry. Judging from his expression, he was probably going to consult a psychologist.

"For martial artists, mental state is very important. I hope he can adjust as soon as possible," Murong Qing with genuine concern.

Si Ming almost burst out laughing. At present, only Auntie Liu, himself, and his best friend Murong Qing could resist the influence of the "Passerby Aura". Although it was impossible to recognize Liu Qingqing in the crowd at a glance, it was not to the point that the other party was standing in front of them and they would not notice her.

After forcibly suppressing his laughter, Si Ming asked curiously, "Why do you also want to apply to become a Mohist Knight Guard?"

Of the three, Liu Qingqing is the least likely to have the desire to become a member of the Mohist Knight Guard.

Without hesitation, Liu Qingqing replied, "Because I want to learn more advanced archery skills. Although I haven't mastered all the archery techniques at that martial arts school, the headmaster said that with my talent in archery, unless I practice diligently for three years, I won't be able to even get started. And archery is a very niche weapon. Even if I wanted to try other archery techniques to broaden my understanding, I couldn't find a way. In the end, the headmaster told me that the Mohist Knight Guard has a large collection of martial arts books, and there must be something suitable for me, so I signed up."

Si Ming pondered for a moment, then asked a question he had thought about for a long time, "Have you ever considered learning to use weapons like daggers, short swords, or throwing darts?"

Liu Qingqing asked in confusion, "Why do I have to learn such a difficult weapon? I'm clumsy. I'm fine with drawing a bow from behind, but close combat has never been my strong suit, especially with a short weapon that demands the most skill."

"Well, actually you are quite talented, but it's not in your skills, it's in something more fundamental."